Johnson’s prep school forced to close doors
BORIS JOHNSON’S former prep school is to shut down after 180 years due to the “harsh reality” of coronavirus.
Ashdown House Preparatory School in Sussex yesterday informed parents and teachers that it will close at the end of this term due to a sharp fall in demand for places.
Founded in 1843, the independent school charges boarding fees of £9,560-a-term and has long acted as a feeder to the country’s leading public schools including Eton. But the impact of coronavirus has led to a decline in the number of international boarders, and fewer parents reserving places for their children. According to projections, the school would have been less than a third full next year. Mr Johnson attended Ashdown House as an 11-yearold in 1975, while his sister, Rachel, became the school’s first female boarder the following year.
Tom Beardmore-gray, chief executive of the Cothill Trust, which runs the school, said: “The harsh reality is that the impact of the coronavirus has changed everything. In recent years the trust has invested heavily in the school, and there has been a relentless drive to keep the school moving forward. Given the challenges the sector as a whole is now facing, it is not possible to maintain this support.”
The school, which caters for boys and girls aged eight to 13-years-old, still plans to welcome back year 6 pupils later this week.
Last month this newspaper revealed that seven private schools have already closed in the UK, with one in ten said to be facing closure as a result of financial pressures caused by coronavirus.